Iraqis set timetable for power transfer
Two Black Hawks crash in Mosul
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Iraqi Governing Council president Jalal Talabani, right, and member Ahmad Chalabi announce plan for an Iraqi transitional government.
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VIDEO
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The Iraqi Governing Council announces that Iraq will have a new transitional government by the end of June 2004.
CNN's Matthew Chance flies with Operation Iron Hammer over Baghdad.
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| TRANSITION PLAN |
Key Deadlines
End of February 2004: Iraqi army, security forces placed under Iraqi civilian control
End of June 2004: Establishes sovereign provisional government, dissolves Coalition Provisional Authority
End of 2005: New constitution written,new government elected according to that constitution |
SPECIAL REPORT
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Against the backdrop of increasing attacks on coalition forces and supporters, the Iraqi Governing Council announced on Saturday a timetable for Iraqis to assume power from the U.S.-led provisional authority within six months.
The council announced a plan to establish a provisional government in Iraq, with full sovereign powers, by the end of June, 2004. Iraq would write a constitution and elect a democratic government by the end of 2005, said Ahmed Chalabi, a council member.
The 24-member council, appointed by the Coalition Provisional Authority, intends to draft a law to call for the provisional government, Chalabi said.
"This law will embody the principles that find general consensus among the Iraqi people ... respect for human rights and respect for basic political freedoms, including freedom of religion and the practice of religion and the equality of all citizens," Chalabi said.
The announcement followed the council's Saturday morning meeting with coalition administrator L. Paul Bremer.
Chalabi said the U.S.-led coalition "will dissolve" and "the occupation will end" when the provisional government takes over, but the council did not mention what role or status of U.S. troops in Iraq.
With the numbers of U.S. troops killed in Iraq increasing almost daily -- more than 400 in the Iraq war by Saturday morning -- the Bush administration has been pressured by Iraqis and Americans to pull out troops as soon as possible.
But, the White House said Friday that U.S. troops would stay in Iraq until former President Saddam Hussein is killed or captured.
On Saturday evening in Iraq, two U.S. military helicopters crashed in the northern city of Mosul, a coalition military spokesman said.
Col. William Darley said the two UH-60 Black Hawks crashed in the western part of the city, but he could not say if the aircraft collided or under what circumstances they crashed. He said soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division, Iraqi police and Iraqi firefighters were on the scene.
"The status of the crew and passengers is unknown at this time," Darley said.
This week, two U.S. divisions launched operations aimed at disrupting the insurgency and the steady stream of deadly attacks.
One U.S. soldier was killed and two were wounded when a roadside bomb that hit a convoy in northern Baghdad.
The death brings to 45 the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq this month alone. A total of 405 U.S. troops have died since the start of the war in March. No reliable source compiles numbers of Iraqis killed in the war, although The Associated Press reported an estimated 3,240 civilian Iraqi deaths between March 20 and April 20. The AP cautioned that the number came from only half of Iraq's hospitals.
The soldier killed Saturday was a member of the 1st Armored Division, which launched Operation Iron Hammer this week against Saddam loyalists and other insurgents in the Baghdad area. North of Baghdad, the 4th Infantry Division has launched Operation Ivy Cyclone north of Baghdad, and the 82nd Airborne Division's Task Force All-American is operating to the west.
Other developments
• In the last 24 hours, Task Force All- American operations brought in 67 detainees for further questioning along with weapons, including 38 AK-47s, nine high-explosive 120mm mortar rounds, five pistols, and a variety of other munitions.
• In northern Iraq in the last week, 101st Airborne Division operations brought in 14 "suspected terrorists" 101st teams have detained more than 50 individuals suspected of committing terrorist acts or being involved in them.
• The former leader of the Ba'ath Party in Karbala organized and funded the recent rocket attacks on the al-Rashid Hotel October 27 and the U.S. Army Chinook helicopter on November 2 , U.S. defense source said Friday. Detained Iraqi fighters under interrogation, and other intelligence, implicated Khamis Sirhan Al-Muhammadi, No. 54 on the U.S. list of most-wanted Iraqis, the defense source said. Efforts are under way to find him. Sixteen U.S. soldiers were killed when the helicopter was shot down near Fallujah.
• The bodies of the 18 Italians killed in Wednesday's suicide bombing in Iraq are being flown home this weekend as Italy prepares for an official day of mourning. Nine Iraqis also died in the attack. About 20 Italian service members injured in the Nasiriya attack are to arrive home Friday. (Full story)
• U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Saturday said Washington will wait for Japan to assess Iraq's security before sending noncombat troops. Japan delayed deployment after this week's attack on Italian troops. "Each sovereign nation needs to think through precisely what makes the most sense from their standpoint and then engage in a way that they feel is appropriate," Rumsfeld said after meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo. (Full story)
